The Raleigh County Amateur Radio
Emergency Service (ARES)
net meets regularly each Tuesday evening at 8:15PM on the 145.370-(100.0)
WV8BD Repeater and Thuresday evening at 8:15 PM on the 147.360+(123.0)
N8FWL repeater. The ARES Net
generally lasts for no longer than 15 minutes, and of course in the
routine nets, there's nothing that says you must 'stay tuned' until the
net closes! The routine ARES nets
are usually somewhat tailored to practice SKYWARN
net procedures.

The most important thing to do is LISTEN to
the Net Control Station (NCS)! The NCS directs the net in a manner
subject to the type of net and other circumstances. A good NCS will
tell you exactly what they expect of you. PAY ATTENTION! The ARES nets are usually called 'directed'
nets, meaning that after you check-in, you shouldn't transmit unless
necessary, and you need to have the permission of Net Control before
you contact other stations on the frequency.

When I have run ARES
& SKYWARN nets, I broadcast
specific instructions on how I would like people to check in. This
isn't done to be domineering, it is done for purposes of brevity and
convenience.

As I've previously stated, the most important
thing to do is follow the exact instructions of the Net Control
Station. Under normal circumstances, here's exactly what I ask for from
stations wishing to check-in to the ARES
Nets:

Key up and state "This is," unkey to make
sure you're not doubling. Rekey & give your callsign phonetically,
using the international phonetic alphabet.

Give your first name.

Give your general location (such as
"Downtown
Lewisburg" or "Northeast of Alderson"). A. The National Weather Service
has recently asked us to use regular geographic locations instead of
the grid-coordinate system.

If you're a certified SKYWARN member, simply state the key word "SKYWARN." If you have traffic for the net
or a question for Net Control, simply state "TRAFFIC."

If you don't state either of the
keywords,
NCS will assume that you aren't a SKYWARN
member and/or you don't have traffic for the net. It sounds real
simple, but a lot of people still end up wasting time saying "No
traffic" and/or "Well, I'm not a SKYWARN
member yet, but, ahhh, I plan on taking the class real soon!"

Occasionally, you might be asked to
provide
parts or all of your SKYWARN
Certification Code number (printed on the front of your card) if you're
a member of SKYWARN. If you don't
have your Cert # handy, you'll be instructed to simply state "SKYWARN."

Only stations currently located within
Raleigh County should check-in until Net Control specifically invites
check-ins from stations located in other counties.

If you try to check in, but aren't
acknowledged by the NCS, hopefully one of the other stations will hear
you and relay for you when NCS calls for any relays.

That's it! Sometimes we'll change the order
and/or type of check-in information we request. This is done to add a
little variety, keep you on your toes, and for other training purposes.
We ask all stations to follow the instructions of Net Control, yet we
realize that everyone (even NCS!) makes mistakes. The intent behind the
routine Tuesday night check-in nets is to familiarize everyone with net
protocol then, instead of during actual emergency situations.

In an emergency ARES
or SKYWARN activation in Raleigh
County, we will operate on one of the these repeaters:

146.550
Mcs simplex (Nationally reconized SKYWARN
frequency) could also be utilized, as could other frequencies and
repeater assets, if necessary.

During emergency situations,
we try to have several 'key' stations on the air. One would be
designated as the NCS. One would be designated as a liason station.
Others might include an operator at the Raleigh County Emergency
Operations Center (EOC). It is a good practice to not-to-have the NCS
at the EOC due to a possible constant audiable noise interference.

If you have any questions, be
sure to check-into the ARES net
(& state "TRAFFIC"!), contact the NCS after the net, or call our
Emergency Coordinator (EC) -- ______________________,
______ -- during business hours at ___ ___ ____